Reflections

As I look ahead to 2017, I am setting my intentions for the new year. Here’s how I am going about it. I hope you too will find time to settle in for some quiet reflection, honor yourself, make some plans and approach the new year with open arms, love and excitement.

I love me a little numerology so let’s take a quick look at 2016 and 2017. The number 9 represents the end of a cycle, of which 2016 (2+0+1+6=9) turns out to be. It’s a year of completion. Remember, all endings bring new beginnings. It has been a year of release for me. Letting go of things (my last garage sale ever…hopefully), limiting beliefs and a few fears that rose up have all been a part of my 2016. As we move into 2017, a 1 year, we will be walking into a year full of new beginnings, expanded opportunities to deeper develop current interests as well as develop new ideas. So with the basic premise of new beginnings, I begin my yearly reflection journal.

In this journal, I have a page for the reflection of 2016 where I list my accomplishments, lessons learned, what I am letting go and what I feel the year ahead will be. My lists are as long as I wish. My look ahead is summed up into just a few words - strong and successful for the coming year.

Now to define what that actually means in terms of how to get to strong and successful. Both of those words relate to relationships, wellness and business for me. So the next page in my journal is titled 2017. This year, I have a new journal to kick this incoming 1 year off so I will do things a little differently. Focused on Wayne Dyer’s approach of “I am” statements, I will move forward with these two gems.

It’s time to determine just how I will manifest these two intentions by getting more specific. I will be looking at relationships, wellness and business as I mentioned above. Here I will define ways in which I will work towards strong and successful.

Let’s look at wellness for a moment, specifically fitness. I have always struggled with keeping up a fitness regime. This past year, I made a commitment to myself that I would head out on our first cruise feeling strong and confident in my body. I worked out 4-5 times a week. I felt great. There was not a noticeable difference in how I looked on the outside but I was rockin’ this feeling on the inside. And then. And then we got home from the cruise. I headed into a summer full of travel and a balancing act and this and that. I let go of my routine, finding reasons in my head as to why it won’t fit in my day. And now, I sit here reflecting on an accomplishment of working towards the cruise goal and a lesson. The lesson of never giving up on yourself despite everyone else’s needs. That’s just what I did. I put everything else above my fitness goals. But, friends, we are heading into a 1 year - the perfect excuse to renew my commitment to fitness, my commitment to myself. I have all of the tools I need and I have started back. So this journal entry looks like this.

I am strong.

I am 30+ minutes of exercise a day strong.

I am workout 4-5 days a week strong.

I am a years worth of fitness strong.

I am embrace my body strong.

I am worth the time and effort strong.

For me, it’s as specific as I need to get here to know what I need to do. Same for my other goals as I will translate those into everyday action steps in my calendar. And yes, “workout” is in my calendar too! This yearly journal sits on my bookshelf, next to my desk. I will reach for it when I need a reminder of my direction. A boost. A little motivation. Focus. Most likely a few times a week.

So whatever approach you take, make it your own and make it work for you. But know that there is power in writing all of this down. There is power in planning. There is power in you to make 2017 a year of beginnings.